Since the turn of the century, the world has changed in unimaginable ways. The mystical energies of the universe have been steadily rising in power and concentration, bringing magic back to the world—the Awakening. Elves, dwarfs, orks, and trolls have assumed their true forms, throwing off their human guises. Creatures of the wild have changed as well, transforming into beasts of myth and legend. The many traditions of magic have returned—magicians from all walks of life have carved out a place for themselves in the new world. Though many aspects of the Awakening remain mysterious, modern society has learned much about the workings of magic and how to harness it as a force just as important as technology. The decades that followed the Awakening were years of panic and turmoil, as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse seemed to race across the Earth. Cultures that had never lost touch with their mystic heritage used magic in uprisings against the nations that had suppressed them for centuries. The vast global telecommunications network collapsed under an assault by a mysterious computer virus. Dragons soared into the skies. Epidemics and famines ravaged the world’s population. Clashes between newly Awakened races and the rest of humanity became common. All central authority crumbled, and the world began to spiral downward into the abyss. But man and his kin are hardy animals. Out of the devastation and chaos, a fragile new social order slowly emerged. Advanced simulated sensorium (simsense) technology helped eradicate the last vestiges of the computer virus. Amerindians, elves, orks, trolls, and dwarfs formed new nations. Where environmental degradation and pollution have made many areas uninhabitable, eco-groups wage war on polluters, and Awakened powers use incredible magic to heal the earth. Central governments have balkanized into smaller nations and city-states, as fear of the world’s changes drives wedges between people of different backgrounds. Vast metropolitan sprawls known as metroplexes cover the landscape; these urban jungles swallow whole regions. Police departments, unable to contain crime waves and civil unrest, have been privatized or had their work contracted out to corporations. Mega corporations are the new world superpowers, a law unto themselves. The entire planet speaks their language; the nuyen is the global monetary standard; and the highest court in the world is the Corporate Court, made up of members of the top ten megacorporations. The megacorps play a deadly game, paying pawns in the shadows to help them get an edge on the competition. Meanwhile, corporate executives and wage slaves hole up in their own enclaves, safe behind layers of security and indoctrination. Outside the walls of these arcologies and gated communities, whole stretches of the sprawls have become ungovernable. Gangs rule the streets; the forgotten masses grow, lacking even a System Identification Number (SIN) to give them any rights. These outcasts, dissidents, and rebels live as the dregs of society, squatting in long-abandoned buildings, surviving through crime and predatory instincts. Many of them attempt to escape their miserable existences by slotting addictive Better-Than-Life (BTL) chips, living vicariously through someone else’s senses. Others band together, some for survival and some to gain their own twisted forms of power.Technology, too, has changed people. No longer content with the limitations of flesh, many have turned to the artificial enhancements of cyberware to make themselves more than human—stronger, faster, smarter. Others prefer more natural enhancements, augmented organs grown in clinic vats: bioware. Still others deck themselves out in powerful and wearable computing equipment, and manipulate the Matrix or vehicles as if the optical chips and run-flat tires were parts of their own body.

In the harsh reality of 2070 where profit is the most important mistress, the bigger the metroplex, the deeper the shadows. In the cracks between the giant corporate structures, criminals of all shades find their homes. When the megacorps want a job done but don’t want to dirty their hands, they turn to the only people who can pull it off: shadowrunners, deniable assets. Though only the blackest of governmental or corporate databases will even register a shadowrunner’s involvement with a corporation, the demand for his or her services is high. Hackers slide like whispers through the databases of giant corporations, spiriting away the only thing of real value—information. Street samurai are enforcers for hire whose combat skills and reflexes make them the ultimate urban predators. Riggers manipulate vehicles and drones for a variety of purposes. Magicians, those rare folk who possess the gift of wielding and shaping the magical energies that now permeate the Earth, are sought after to spy on competitors, sling spells against an enemy, commit magical sabotage, and for any other service that their employers can dream up. All these individuals sell their skills to survive, taking on tasks too dangerous for others; many of them illegal, all of them unsavory.

Welcome to the dark side of the future, pal. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.

What Runners Do

Shadowrunners commit crimes, usually for money. When a corporation or other sponsor needs someone to do dirty work, they look to the shadows. As “deniable assets,” runners make advantageous—and expendable—tools. Runners usually operate in teams. A team can be any combination of character types, depending on what the players want to do. The team should have a plausible reason for working together, such as being old friends or cellmates, having the same interests, or being forced together by circumstance. Different teams will have different capabilities, and the gamemaster should plan accordingly. For example, one team may excel at breaking and entering, while another might be a squad of bruisers who work best as hired muscle. While runner teams will want to work within their strengths, a staple of drama is the protagonists being pulled out of their element and over their heads. Runners have contacts, who represent other potentially useful people they know. Some of these will be other underworld types, such as gang members or hit men. Others may be ordinary people, useful for information or for “special arrangements”—for example, the corporate secretary who lets you know when the wiz research scientist you’re supposed to kidnap will be leaving the building. The more you rely on any particular contact’s skills, information, and resources, the more you’ll owe them in the end—even between long-standing contacts, money and favors are usually necessary to grease the wheels. A player character’s relationship with a contact need not be friendly. Sometimes, the people who can help you out the most are those you like the least.

The most important contact for shadowrunners is the fixer. A fixer acts as a middleman and can usually help the runners find gear, other contacts, or work—all for a fee, of course. A corporation or other employer that needs shadowrunners sends someone to a fixer to ask for recommendations. If a team of runners has a good reputation and meets the job requirements, a meeting is arranged to discuss details and haggle over payment. Because such matters are highly sensitive, anonymity is par for the course, and employers of this type are known simply as Mr. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson may not always be a corporate representative. The world of Shadowrun is rich and complex, with many people and groups who may need to hire runners to accomplish certain goals. A criminal syndicate may hire runners to strike at rivals, a mage may hire them to acquire certain rare materials for magic use, or Joe Neighbor may need to find the terrorists who kidnapped his wife. Regardless of the sponsor, if a job involves doing something dangerous and potentially illegal, it’s a shadowrun. Just like Mr. Johnson is anonymous, so may be the sponsor—if the price is right, most running teams don’t care who’s paying. Misdirection is common, and Johnsons will often try to drop false clues, leading runners to think that they’re actually employed by someone else entirely. Shadowrunner teams may even take the initiative, doing jobs of their own accord. For example, a player character may hold a grudge against a certain megacorp, or dislike how a certain gang treats people in his neighborhood. Maybe he decides it’s time to get his criminal record erased. Other jobs may be politically or socially motivated; the character or runner team may be members of or regularly work with far left or far right political groups. In the Sixth World, everyone has dirty work that needs doing. Runners accomplish their tasks by working the streets for information, calling in favors and markers from friends and contacts in the shadows. They take whatever action their job requires: surveillance, theft, breaking and entering, violence, even murder. Runners do these things because they are survivors. Many of them grew up committing crimes to get by, or perhaps they obtained special training somewhere and want to put it to use. Some may have extended families to feed and no other source of income. Many of them prefer the freedom of the shadowlife, controlling their own destinies as opposed to being a wage slave in some drab business park kissing corporate ass all day. Others enjoy the thrill of running, thriving on its risks. Finally, some are inspired to run by a sense of social justice; they want to damage the powers-that-be however they can while providing for the underclass. These runners are known as ’hooders for their Robin Hood outlook.

Bonus

Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores. Most bonuses have a type, and as a general rule, bonuses of the same type are not cumulative (do not “stack”)—only the greater bonus granted applies.

The important aspect of bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don’t generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus of a given type works. Bonuses without a type always stack, unless they are from the same source.

Here is an example of AC

Armor Class

Our example character has a wealth of Armor Class improvements:

+7 armor bonus (+2 chainmail)

+2 shield bonus (heavy shield)

+1 deflection bonus (ring of protection +1)

+2 natural armor (barkskin spell)

+2 Dexterity bonus (the character’s Dexterity is 17, thanks to the cat’s grace spell, but chainmail allows only a +2 Dexterity bonus to Armor Class

+4 armor bonus (mage armor spell)

+4 shield bonus (shield spell)

+2 deflection bonus (shield of faith spell)

That’s a lot of bonuses, but all the bonuses with the same names overlap, so we’re left with the following:

+7 armor bonus (+2chainmail)

+2 natural armor (barkskin spell)

+2 bonus from Dexterity (from the cat’s gracespell, as limited by the chainmail)

+4 shield bonus (shield spell)

+2 deflection bonus (shield of faith spell)

That’s a total bonus of +17 to Armor Class, giving our example human (who has a base Armor Class of 10 with no size adjustment) an Armor Class of 27.

Please note a couple of things here:

Multiple Enhancement Bonuses: The character is effectively getting two enhancement bonuses to Armor Class (from the +2 chainmail and the barkskin spell), and that works in this case because those two bonuses are being applied to two different elements of the character’s Armor Class.

WhereEnhancement Bonuses Apply: In general, an enhancement bonus goes with a specific item a character uses, or with one of the user’s abilities or other statistics. The example character’s touch Armor Class is only 14, because a touch attack bypasses the character’s armor bonus (including the +2 from the magic armor), natural armor bonus (including the +2 from the barkskin spell), and shield bonus. Those enhancement bonuses don’t float around the character, warding off harm; they improve a specific aspect of the character’s defenses.

Overlapping Bonuses are Still in Place: This can become significant when dealing with Armor Class. For example, our human has an Armor Class of 24 against an incorporeal touch attack, as follows:

Base 10

+2 Dexterity: The chainmail’s Dexterity cap still applies, even though the chainmail itself can’t block the attack.

+4 shield bonus: The shieldspell works against the attack because it is a force effect.

+4 armor bonus: The mage armor spell works against the attack because it is a force effect. (But, neither the chainmail’s +2 enhancement bonus nor the barkskin’s +2 enhancement bonus improve the mage armor’sarmor bonus.)

+2 deflection bonus from shield of faith spell.

I feel i had to mention it for next time , this also includes abilities , also if 2 spells do the same eg + 1 to hit and damage , and another spells does +1 hit and damage but raise + 1 per hit + 1d8 temp hit points, he would get the hitpoints but would have to go with the most powerfull of the active spells or if they the same then players choice. The same is with Items , +2 ring of protection and a +2 amulet of protection – would not stack, but if it was a ring of defection + 2 and an amulet of protection , then these would stack.

Please leave your comments, i want to keep balance and the game fun, not some min/max mmo if thats ok , this rule is in as of now , i dont care what herolabs character sheet churns out , we are using these rules . cheers .It was my fault I am the GM and i should known better ….. Bazinga !!!

Saying all of that , i thought the fights were edgy and really well worked out, i thought the teamwork was excellent and the role playing really good , i loved the edgy feel to when surveying the ogres , the apprehension i could almost taste , it was really well played fellas.

XP is 9000 each and well deserved !

Climbing the stairs to the library , you reached the parapit, a horrible sleety raining was falling, the wind was gusting up to 80mph , watching the scene below, they counted maybe 40 ogres in the viscious looking warband, thurls with light armour, shields and spears and bows of differing makes , heavy armoured Huscarls , with plate and mail, carrying wicked looking axes and wide bladed swords, carrying, heavy metal and wood shields, what first you thought of hairy ogres dressed in tribal garb, looking like shamans, are some sort of huge northern orc druid/shaman, and finally dotted about are what can only be named men (or ogres) , these savage warriors are the leaders of small squads , known as twelves . The attack starts, a few rangers and woodsmen approach the gate atleast 24 of the thurls and a few carls are drawn into a running skirmish . This is not the rag tag bunch the black brothers thought they were, this a keen,battle tough warband !! The named men , Orc shamans and a squad of Carls remain behind in open view.

After taking a short rest to heal up they , then make there way to the library , outside they can hear lots of shouting , and screaming , the alarm has been raised , you hear voices , shouting and screaming , find the infiltrators , etc, you get the jist. The first major combat was between took place in what they think is the commander office Lamatar 45 Knight Marshall of fort Rannick.

The walls of this room are decorated with fine longswords, stuffed animal heads, and a map of the Hook Mountain environs. A large oak table surrounded by several chairs has been smashed to splinters, and an immense bed has similarly been ruined. An open cabinet that once contained several bottles of wine has been crushed as well, and broken bottles and the faint scent of wine linger around its ruins.

Inside they face a karl, a named man, with a very strange looking blade and a a savage orc hook. Then 2 twin sisters, very alluring and attractive for ogres, both dressed in leather , carrying whips and thin looking blades which were also very weird and savage looking, the fight was one of the best we have had, the characters now using spells, feats, tactics to win fights, no more static combats , it was very impressive, apart fromBris `s dice rolling and shallelu rolling very bad, kolbi held it together , with healing from Corik

After a quick search of the room they find the following information :

Although the Kreegs have done a number on the contents of this room, they aren’t quite observant enough to have noticed that the bottom of the wine cabinet contained a hidden compartment. Partially smashed open from the top, it’sonly a DC 15 Search check to notice the hidden compartment— the latch to open it is broken, so the thin slats of wood above it must be pried away to expose what’s hidden within—a flat wooden coffer, a pair of soft green leather boots, and a tiny jewelry box. The coffer contains dozens and dozens of parchment sheets, all containing beautifully-written love sonnets to someone named “Myriana,” who (if the sonnets are to be believed) is so beautiful that the moon itself was “blinded when it spied her dancing on the tarn,” and that she is “the truest grace to know Whitewillow’s soft embrace.” A DC 10 Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge (local) check is enough to realize that “Whitewillow” is a section of the Shimmerglens said to be particularly close to one of the portals to the First Realm of the Fey.

So the Question is, what was Lamatar doing with a nymph princess? Maybe Jakardos will know, is Lamatar still alive , will this nymph know anything, maybe a trip to whitewillow may answer a few questions???????????????

The final fight of the night was betwixt Jakardos Kreeg , two carls and two orc shaman, they know that maybe some named men may be with him, and they are yet to see the person behind the cool calming voice, with one of the carls down , the fight is in full flow, i think our heroes are now level 9 …………………………………….. Let the battle Commence

The night started with probably the most tactical fight, the characters have done so far, a Lamia (Thief/Sorc/Cleric) and 2 ice drakes, her pets , as people have dogs and cats , a lamia has an ice drake!!!

This two-legged dragon has dull blue scales tinged with bright blue ice. A freezing mist issues from between its powerful jaws.

An epic it was , the characters never loosing control, using great tactics, using all his cunning and guile , Bris delivered the lamia a deadly blow which made her drop her fine rapier, picking it up , bris felt its power, but before the group could kill her formidable life force, she used the last of her magic she and escaped!!! , they heard voices and pounding at the door in the lamias chambers, and some really angry ogre , spitting curses the lamias way, Staying calm and using there wits they have negoiated the first floor of the fort , using the ogres lack of intelligence against them.

What might once have been a well-maintained entrance hall is now swathed in horror. Dried blood cakes the stone walls; bits and pieces of armor, weaponry, and flesh litter the floor; and flies cloud the air. Tapestries that once bore the insignia of the Black Arrows have been torn from the walls and now lie on the floor in shreds, coated with filth.

The fights were short and brutal , they enter the old infirmary and fight a powerfull looking ogre, who looks like one of kreegs by stature and skill

Once used to house the wounded and sick, this chamber is now a slice of some blood-drenched nightmare. Hacked pieces of bodies litter the sick beds. The floor is slick with gore, strewn with mangled organs and heaps of entrails. A dead fat man sits at one of the operating tables, arranged as if he were merrily spooning chunks of his own disembodied organs out of a brown bowl. His guts spill out of a large gaping slash in his midsection.

Finding a Library which may hold the information needed, but it looks like someone else has been going through it.

A long table with benches to either side sits in this room opposite a bookshelf filled with dozens of books, most of which have been torn from the shelves, mangled, and then messily stuffed back in place

They go up stairs weak and low on magic, the constant fighting has taken its toll , as they sit and wait, the distraction of the rangers and trappers set in place, but how many ogres will leave, reaching a door and hear the voices of 2 females and a number of voices they dont recognise, maybe some sort of meeting, they hear voice throught the thick door, the name Mokmurian , the Kreegs mountain hold , could it be the lamia ,Mokmurian,Ironbriar,………………………………………………………….

The floor of this cave is dotted with puddles. Patches of pale moss and fungus grow in sheets on the wall, while to the north, a five-footwide passageway angles up into darkness. A walkway of soggy planks leads from this opening southeast to a second opening curtained by cascades of falling water.

Surrounded ,outnumbered and unarmoured , with skill , and a bit of luck they fight off the 8 lizards , the skin on the lizards were a dripping acid , it burned as it go onto the flesh , again Kolbie was in the thick, with the Corik surrounded , he used the sanctuary of saranrae to protect him from the vermin, Shalelu was merciless with arrow and our sly inquisitor was decisive in his strikes, killing the most injured of creatures from behind or to the side, first with crossbow pistol, then with bastard sword. A whistle could be heard, shalelu heard it , the wall and roof looked as if it was moving , as they made there way along the tunnels. to the next dark chamber.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of this cool, damp cave are coated from floor to ceiling in soft, dark gray fungus. Several crates are stacked in a nook to the northwest.

This most ancient of stores , held arms amd armour from a forgotten past , but within a bundle they found some quarrels of shocking +2, around them the walls and ceiling moved, the next set of tunnels were even tighter .

A deep ravine stretches across this cavern, splitting the room in half. Geodes and veins of glittering minerals shimmer along the walls of the chasm, which drops away into the dark. A ten-foot-wide wooden bridge spans the gulf.

Easily negotiating the bridge The skeleton of an unlucky halfling thief lies at the bottom of the ravine. His pack contains a broken flask, some prospecting tools, and a pouch with two large rubies each worth 100 gp. His trusty shortsword at his side, but they didnt go down. Taking a turn they found a tunnel leading down , making there way down this epic fight was controlled by kolbie , as they killed twelve more of the lizards, battered, bloody the crazy dwarf , got to the bottom mostly unhurt, Corik using the powers of saranrae to keep him alive, hearing voices down the bottom , they hear the voice of a women and an ogre, arguing !!! The pick up that someone called Barl Breakbones, will not be pleased with the lazy attitude of the ogres , there was a slamming of doors , then everything went quiet, trying to be quiet they made there way to what they think are jail cells.

Liazrds attack, twelve of them, Bris looks at there skin , and a recognision washes over him , the skin , its lamia Skin, the fight was intense , but again the party with great tactics , beat them ,w ith the acid biting deep into there flesh, covered in gore and blood , they hear the click of high heels then nothing , they approach the corner on the tunnel………………………………. They know lamias can now skin change and she has help from maybe 30-60 ogres, what the hell is a lamia doing here!!!!!!!

The first session of the New year and What a great session to start!!! Lots of great Roleplay , Kolbi actually read his character and worked out what his feats didand what his magic Items do, which is always a bonus haha!!!!

The Forboding of bad weather to come, started the night of off, after getting rid of the Traitors Body, the two day journey to turtleback was fairly easy going, only Corik was now the sole recipient of fungal fever, and still he failed his rolls. The villages watched as the deadly bunch on shit ridden adventurers made there way into town, Jakardos, Vale , Shalelu and Corik all made there way to the mayors house, and met up with Maelin Shreed , mayor (LG male human cleric of Erastil 5)

Whilst Bris and Kolbi , made there way to the Inn The Turtle’s Parlor. Inside the inn , bris told the barman of his deed in destroying the evil incestiuos ogres, called the Grauls, the barman nearly dropped the glass he was carrying, the inn went silent for just a second, then all hell broke loose, in less than 10 minutes the whole of turtlebeck were either in the inn or the bar or drinking in the street, as the Graul clan had long plagued this back water village!!! The story spread like wild fire , people travelled in from the surrounding Whitewillow, Bitter Hollow and the fishing thorpe of Pendaka, Even the famous baker Olam Keech brought a wagon full of her famous Cranberry and turtle egg Pies. The party was in full flow, these people lead a hard a demoralising life of hardship and pain, the charcaters were now heroes in these peoples eyes. The drinking last all day and night, finally Bris and Kolbi Colloapsed in a drunken state!!!

After speaking to Maelin , Corik was given a bag with 100 gold , for killing the Grauls, the Mayor could not thank him enough, The rangers let the Mayor know about about Fort Rannick, and told Corik he could send a message to maginamr or his pathfinder captain Cage Blunde to update them , on the situation. Corik elected to send a message to Cage, telling him the fort had been taken oven by a huge clan of ogres , called the Kreegs , who make there home on the Hook, the biggest mountain in the range. Corik notices the huge street party outside and even Corik was able to smile briefly , yes he had done good work for saranrae, the evil had been burned!!

The next morning Bris and Kolbi awake in a bit of a drunken state, they have a bath in a sheep dip, and then have a huge breakfast , of ham and eggs with crusty bread and herbal tea! Before most of the other people are awake , they make their way to the mayors house, where Corik Ranger are eating a sumptuos breakfast, the Mayor comes through to thr Dining Room, telling them there has been a message from Cage Blunde.

The message is

Take the Fort

Keep the Fort

Rebuild the Fort

A small force will be sent from Magnimar to help

Jakardos Produces a map of the fort :

After answering lots of question the following plans were explore :

The Sluice Gate On the south wall of the fort, a sluice gate opens to release refuse and sewage downhill into the creek. The PCs can attempt to circumvent the gates of Rannick by breaching this narrow access way instead, but its proximity to the South Gate might be a problem.

The Secret Tunnels these tunnels have not been used in decades. They are infested in some places by shocker lizards, but they might provide the perfect means of infiltrating the fort without alerting the ogres. The tunnels can be entered via the waterfall cave at area B12; from there, the PCs can infiltrate the fort via the secret entrances into areas B10, B5, or even B36.

Death from Above Any PC capable of flight can descend on the fort proper from above. Alternatively, if they fly up to the eagle aerie (see area B5), they can approach the fort via the hidden ledge and tunnel from the north.

Stealth Ogres can see in the dark, so night is likely to be a bigger problem than advantage for the PCs. If the party consists of stealthy characters, they might be able to infiltrate the fort undetected, especially if they use spells like invisibility or fog cloud to mask their approach.

Lure the Kreegs Out : ogres in the fort.

They are easily angered, quick to action, and not prone to evaluating threats before they act. If something provokes the ogres, they are likely to send out a sizeable force to attack (and could be easily lured into an ambush). Additionally, a distraction in one area of the fort might draw the brunt of the ogres to this area to investigate, thus leaving others undefended.

The characters decide to send the Rangers to the fort to do a two day recon, whilst the characters travel to Bitter Hollow to visit the weird and wonderfull Setlo Uphorn , the strange owner of the gator shack, which sells magic items and herbs , selling there loot , well more like trading there loot, the characters end up up with new magical properites on there weapons. The scimitar of Corik, now flames on command, the Bastard sword of bris , now has a much keener edge , and will increase his critical chance. The crafting took two days!!

They then find themselves back in Turtleback , with an inspirational bit of roleplaying by Corik, he inspires 22 of the trappers and hunters in town to join them in regaining the fort , Thus name Captian Gonad by Bris haha !!!!

A few days later they find themselves in the secret tunnels of fort Rannick Surrounded by this Huge lizards , called shock lizards! these Acid Lizards are so called by the Black Rangers, because if you can see one its a shock! Of course these are from the family of the Basalisk! Let the combat commence!!!!!!!

The characters we had , i was some sort of Scientest Chick. Danny was an indiana Jones type character and Darren was some Cratchety old Hag,

It was a hell of a set up , As rules master Darren did a sterling job, the aim of the game was to close portals and stop Yig from coming into our world and destroying it!!!!

Ok as i was the only one who was interested in closing the portals, danny spent most of his time insane in the hospital, and Darren spent most of his time seeking out new spells and gear ( its the rogue in him )

We ultimately all went insane before we were devoured by Yig.!!!

Back to Pathfinder in the New year.

Winter has hit Hook Mountain and Characters in the service of Magnimar must retake Fort Rannick, with the help of a 2 black brothers and Shallelu , from a huge clan of Kreeg ogres !!!!